The present invention relates generally to the attachment of remote peripherals to chassis mounted cards, and more specifically to the attachment of remote transceivers to the printed circuit cards at the hub of a millimeter wave point-to-multipoint communication systems.
Point-to-multipoint millimeter wave wireless communication systems are well know and are described, e.g., in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,313, entitled “System and Method for Broadband Millimeter Wave Data Communication.” Such systems generally consist of one or more hubs each servicing a plurality of remote nodes. The antennae of such systems are highly directional and it is critical to the successful operation of the communication system that the signals received at the hub be correctly routed to an antenna correctly aimed in both azimuth and elevation. It is typical that a hub contain multiple antennae and thus multiple cards in the hub equipment.
Point-to-multipoint communication systems are generally modular with reconfiguration of the coverage of the antennae required, e.g., as the number of subscribers increases within a sector, as subscribers come on line in sectors previously not serviced, as the communication traffic increases within a sector, etc. It is thus important that the hub equipment include a chassis capable of supporting multiple cards usable with various transducers, and that the access to the terminations on those cards be selectively restricted to avoid erroneous connections. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for selectively connecting peripherals such as transducers to printed circuit cards.
Printed circuit cards are generally electrically attached by frictional connectors to the back plane or mother board mounted in a metal chassis, but the cards are not generally expected to be exposed to movement inducing forces once installed. The terminations of printed circuit cards are often the male or female halves of a multiple pin connector and are accessible through the faceplate of the card. Such terminations are secured to the card but are not expected to subject to movement inducing forces once the card is installed into the protective chassis. Any force on the terminations may result in damage to the connection to the card and/or cause movement of the card relative to the chassis and disrupt the connection of the card to the back plane.
The connector on the conductor from the remote peripheral is generally plugged directly into the card termination. The weight of the connector on the peripheral conductor as well as the weight of the conductor itself has long been a problem in the connection of remote peripherals, as this weight is supported by the termination on the card and tends to cause unwanted movement under the influence of gravity and/or the movement of the peripheral conductor. It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a novel card connector and method in which the connector is supported by the chassis rather than the card.
The angle of insertion of the connector from the peripheral is generally normal to the card faceplate and parallel to the surface of the card to which the termination is mounted. It is not unusual for the conductors to transition from the horizontal to the vertical and/or laterally to one side of the chassis within an inch or two of the chassis The sharpness of this bend is increased where the conductor is long and the weight of the conductor substantial. The sharp radius of the curve induces stress in the conductor itself and on the card to which connected. It is accordingly a further object of the present invention to provide a novel card connecting system and method in which the sharpness of the bend in the conductor is significantly reduced
These and other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.